Description
$495–special price for Digging In Members, must register on our member forum for the discount
America’s Garden Capital, here we come! Historic Philadelphia with its extensive and inspiring gardens is the perfect spot for us to gather this summer. Attendees will not only be inspired by two of America’s greatest public gardens, they will also learn from leading horticulturists and designers through engaging presentations sure to spark your creativity. It’s a unique opportunity to connect, grow, and leave with fresh ideas ready to take root in your business.
Our base will be in West Chester, just outside of Philadelphia at Hotel Indigo. This quaint town is home to West Chester University which lends to the energetic, vibrant vibe. With charming shops, galleries, and casual eateries lining the historic streets, the perfect location for us to enjoy time together and recharge from a long summer season. Attending this in-person gathering allows you to be surrounded by like-minded business owners, make industry connections, stay on top of industry trends, and ignite inspiration.
Along with the gardens we will visit together, the inspiration is endless in America’s Garden Capital, come early or stay a few extra days and complete your very own garden passport!
Digging In – Summer Gathering Schedule*
Tuesday-August 5, 2025
5:30pm – Event Kick Off, Meet and Greet at Hotel Indigo
6:30pm – Group Dinner-location TBA (near Hotel Indigo)
Wednesday-August 6, 2025
9:30am – Board the coach, depart from Hotel Indigo for a full, fun day at Longwood Gardens
10:00am – Arrive at Longwood Gardens, Guest Speaker Karl Gercens will share how he sparks his creativity and designs the displays at Longwood Gardens
11:00am – Explore Longwood Gardens at your own pace, lunch will be taken at your leisure on your own at the Longwood Gardens Cafe
3:15pm – Depart Longwood Gardens
4:00pm – Arrive at Hotel Indigo, enjoy downtown West Chester or take a break before dinner
5:00pm – Group dinner at Hotel Indigo and our evening speaker, Proper Fertilization for Thriving Containers Kaitlyn Sterner, Jack’s Fertilizer
Thursday-August 7, 2025
9:30am – Board the coach, depart from Hotel Indigo for Chanticleer Garden
10:00am – Arrive at Chanticleer Garden , explore the gardens
12:15pm – Depart Chanticleer Garden for Terrain
12:30pm – Group lunch at Terrain, Devon
1:30pm – Lunch Presentation- ‘Artistic Flourishes’ Pots With a Purpose, Dan Bernarcik, Horticulturist and Designer, Chanticleer Garden
2:30pm – Time to shop or just be inspired by what Terrain has to offer
3:30pm – Depart Terrain
4:15pm – Arrive at Hotel Indigo, break before dinner
5:30pm – Group Dinner in downtown West Chester-optional for those staying Thursday night (separate cost if you plan to attend)
*Schedule is subject to changes
About Our Speakers
Karl Gercens, East Conservatory Manager, Longwood Gardens
Karl’s passion for horticulture started at an early age while growing-up on a 10,000 acre cotton plantation in Mississippi. Karl’s experimentation with different plant types and growing methods in that region sparked an interest in new & dynamic exploration for cultivation which ultimately led to his B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture at Mississippi State University. Karl then completed academic internships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and at the Filoli Estate in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
Karl’s resume includes professional, hands-on skills from world class organizations such as Longwood Gardens [Kennett Square, PA], The Filoli Estate [Woodside, CA], and Walt Disney World [Orlando, FL]. His years of horticultural tenure include innovative design-work combined with time-honored approaches for serious gardening!
His notoriety for using a pallet of colored foliage trees, shrubs, and perennials continues to funnel the exciting content of his professional lectures given nationwide and his horticultural classes offered at Longwood Gardens. When Karl is not gardening, lecturing, or consulting his horticultural passion extends worldwide with frequent visits to public and private gardens in all 50 states and more than 20 countries.
Dan Bernarcik, Horticultural Designer, Chanticleer Garden
Dan hardly expected to see himself as a teacher, a mentor, or a leader in his field. It happened slowly at first. He didn’t find Public Horticulture, it found him. Working in public horticulture for over thirty years, Dan has a unique insight as to what visitors and gardeners are looking for. His life has been a persistent collision of horticulture, art, teaching and design.
Fresh from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science, Dan started work at Mt. Cuba Center, dedicated to the research and protection of native plants. While working as the Woods Path gardener, he developed a real love of native plants. Eager for a new challenge, he started as a sales representative for Imperial Nurseries, a large re-wholesaler of landscape plants. In his time there, Dan gained an understanding of commercial production and the business world. However, he realized his creative skills were stagnating.
In 1993, he started at Chanticleer Garden. Unlike many public gardens that seek to educate through plant labels and collections, Chanticleer fosters innovation and creative thinking. Dan oversees the Courtyard Gardens with an emphasis on tropical, subtropical, and tender perennials for seasonal display. His position at Chanticleer affords him the privilege of creating and maintaining our visitor’s first and last impression of the garden.
With his feet planted firmly in the soil of Chanticleer he developed a second skill as a public speaker. With a passion for horticulture, it’s a natural progression he wants to share that through speaking. His writing has appeared in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Martha Stewart Living, and Rodale’s Garden Books. His next step was the television where he promoted plants on QVC for Cottage Farms Nursery. Additionally, featured on episodes of Cultivating Life and Growing a Greener World.
Kaitlyn Sterner, Director of Technical Support, J.R. Peters
With her rooted background in the public garden space beginning at Longwood Gardens, Kaitlyn brings expertise and passion to everything she does. She is a plant nerd with growing experience ranging from chrysanthemums to coleus to cannabis to chickens. More recently her focus shifted into the plant science and nutrition space where she is now the Director of Technical Support at J.R. Peters. Through lab analysis and interpretation, Kaitlyn continually works with other horticulturalists, helping them crush their growing goals through nutrient choices based on science driven data. What else is there to say? She’s a nurturer who likes to see all plants (and critters) thrive.
Registration – Digging In Summer Gathering $495/member price, $695/general price
Registration includes all meals, transportation and events listed on the schedule unless otherwise noted.
Travel Info-
We recommend arriving by 4:30pm on Tuesday, August 5 and departing after 4pm on Thursday, August 7 or depart anytime on Friday August 8. We will plan a casual group dinner on Thursday night for those staying until Friday (details will be sent at a later date, this is not included in the registration fee, as its optional). The meeting will start on Tuesday evening at 5:30pm at Hotel Indigo in West Chester and will conclude Thursday, after our lunch at Terrain around 3:30pm. After lunch transportation will be provided back to Hotel Indigo.
Accommodations-
A block of rooms is reserved at Hotel Indigo in downtown West Chester. The Digging In group rate is good for Aug 5-8, $159/night for a King Room or a Double Queen Room. Our group rate/booking link will expire on June 1, 2025, please book as soon as possible so that we can be sure to have enough rooms for everyone attending. Use this booking link to reserve your room- Hotel Indigo West Chester-Downtown – Professional Association of Landscape Designers Room Block or you can book by calling in 484-630-2880 and reference the group block code LAN to receive the special rate.
Airport Info-
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a major hub, making it easy to get to Philadelphia as it is serviced by all major airlines. Hotel Indigo in West Chester is located about 45 min from the airport and can be reached by using Uber or Lyft.
Misc. Info-
